Plane



,Fb. 24. 1925. 1,527,785 l R. L. CARTER f l PLANE Fuga Jn. 1o, 1924 2 Smets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 24, 1925.

Lames `RAY L. CARTER, F SYRAGUSE; NEW YORK..

PLANE.

Application filed January 10, 1.924. Serial No. 685,419.4

To @Zhu/wm t may can-ccm.'

Be 1t known that I, RAY L. CARTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Syracuse, in the county of'Onondaga and State of itsl object to` provide al hand-propelledpower plane of the class, by which cutting, leveling or releveling Qf surfaces may be effected by means of Va rotary cutting-tool, which is driven by a high-speed electric motor, while the operator simply propels and guides the plane by hand, by the expenditure of the least physical exertion. A further object is to provide a power plane wherein the cuttin'gLtoo-l is connected directly to and aligns axially with the armature shaft of the motor, -whereby said tool is driven at all times at the speeds o-f the motor, and wherein the motor is mounted on the fra-meer bed in such manner that ythe. cutter may be adjusted towards and away from the cutting position. A further object is to provide a plane bed whose bottom is arranged in two aligning sections, which areseparated longitudinally for operatively disposing the cutter therebetween; one of said sections being adjustable relatively to the other section, for gaging the depth of the leveling cuts to be made by the planing tool; the other section being integral tothe bed', which slidably follows the cutter over the finished surface of the work. A further object is to provide a power plane in which the common axis of the motor and cutting tool is dispo-sed at right angles to the longi-.

tudinal aXis o-f the bed, and wherein the air which cools the motor is utilized` for blowing away the chips and dust resulting from the planing operations. A further object is to provide a rotatable dial', by means of which the adjustments of the movablefbottom of the bed may bereadil-"y and accurately efffected. .A further object is; to provide means for rigidly clamping the motor, asv

well as the movable bottom in various atljusted positions. And a further object is to provide an adjustable guide, by which surifaces may be beveled or inclined at diiferent angles to the horizontal.

I attain these objects by the means set forth is the 'detailed .descrittiva which felv lows, and as illustrated by the accompanyingdrawings, in which-d Figure l is a top-plan view ofthe complete device. Fig. 2' is a front end elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal seetion,.taken on line 3 of Fig. 2, showing the means for adjusting and setting the movable bottom portion ofthe bed. Fig. 4 is a frontside elevation of the plane.A Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section, taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4. And Fig. 6 is a. side elevation of: a plane; yshowing a modified construction and arrangement of the cutting'- tool and related parts.

ln the drawings, the body orl bed of" the plane preferably consists of a permanent horizontal bottom 2, and an inte-gral upright side portion 2, the latter'being disposed at right angles to said bottom, and extending substantially the full length of the plane. The bottom 2 preferably extends from the rea-r end of the b ed to a point forwardly of the middle of the plane, beyond which the rotary cutting tool 4 is positioned. 3 represents a movable bottom portion, which eX- tends from the cutting tool to the forward end of the plane. The two bottom portions are spaced suiliciently to provide the necessary clearance for the cutter 4, as shown in Figs; 1 and 4.

The movable bottom 3 i's provided with an upwardly projecting cylindrical portion or stem 3", which is bored outfor a portion of its depth to prov-idean upwardly facing socket 3a; The bottom 3 is supported by a hollow cylindrical part 5, which is preferably integral to the side 2 and also toan irregularly shaped hollow housing- 6, which extends from the side 2 across the bed and incloses and shields the cutter 4, as best seen in Figs. 1, 4 and 5. The stem 3" telescopes the part 5, and its top end which is threaded, as at 3b, extends above the said part, and receives a circular nut 7, by which the bottom 8 israised and lowered, as shown in Figs. 2, Band 4. The nut Tis rotatably supported by the upper end of the part 5. and its top face comprises a dial 7', by which the adjustments of the bottom 3 may be accurately determined. A pointer'Tt, mounted on the part G', indicates the various adjustments 0f the part 3. The support 5 is split vertically,-an d at the opposite sides of the split is provided with perforated lugs 5', the latter Y being tted-with a clamping screw on,

which the bottom 3 may be rigidly held in the adjusted positions. The bottom 3 is normally held in its lo-wermost position, in the same plane as the bottom 2, by a spring 3b, which is disposed in the socket 3fL of the barrel 3, the said spring being held under tension for depressing` the bottom 3, by means of a pin 5d, which passes horizontally through the support 5, and plays in registering vertical slots 3d, that are formed in the opposite sides of the part 3', as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4. The pin 5d also tends to prevent the rotation of the parts 3e3, relatively to the barrel 5 and the bottom 2.

The tool 4 is preferably arranged to cut or level a surface to the plane of the bottom 2, but not any deeper; while the depth of the cuts is controlled entirely` by the raising and lowering of the bottom portion 3 relatively to the said plane, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. The cutter 4 is preferably driven at high speed by an electric motor 9, which may be supplied with the current by wires 9-9a. The motor has an armature shaft 9b, one end of which is shown threaded, as at 4, in Figs. 1 and 5, for directly attaching the cutter 4 to the said shaft. The motor is supported by a split cylindrical holder 10, which is detachably secured to the outer face of the upright 2 of the bed, by screws 10 and 10a, which respectively pass through lugs or ears 10b-10c, and are screwed into the part 2". The lug 10C is preferably provided with a vertical slot 10d, in which the screw 10a is disposed and by means of which the holder and motor may be raised and lowered, for adjusting the tool 4 relatively to the bote toms 2-3, by swinging the holder on the screw 10. 10X represents a set-screw, by which the screw 10a may be held from jarring loose. The upright 2 is cut away, for providing a relatively large opening 2c that faces the motor and registers with the bore 6L of t-he housing 6. The motor is cooled by means of a fan 9d, which is disposed in the inner conical end of the motor casing. rIhe fan draws the air through vents 9e at the farther end of the casing, and expels the air through vents 9, which are arranged in the plane of the fan. The air thus expelled is utilized, in the present case, for blowing away the chips and dust resulting from the cutting and leveling operations, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 5. The bottom side of the holder 10 is split and is provided with downwardly facing perforated lugs 10e-10f, the latter being provided with a. screw 12, by means of which the holder may be expanded and contracted for clamping and freeing the motor.

The cutter 4 may be of any suitable form or design, and its length may correspond substantially to the breadth of the bottoms 2 3. The outer end of the cutter may be supported'by a centering piece 13, which is adjustably disposed between clamping jaws 13 of a bracket 13a, and the tension necessary for holding the centering pin in place may be regulated by a set-screw 13b, which passes through said jaws. The bracket 13a is preferably detachably mounted on the outer edge of the bottom 2, by screws 13C.

Then my plane is employed for leveling or truing-up the narrow edges of boards and the like, it is necessary to provide suitable means for guiding and holding the plane exactly level. For this purpose, I provide a depending guide or guard 14, which is preferably disposed in line vertically with the upright 2, to whose opposite ends the guide is pivoted, by pins 14. The guide 14 is adjustable on the pivots 14', and may be employed for effectingvthe leveling or planing of surfaces at various angles relatively to the horizontal (see Fig. 2). To this end, I provide a slotted bar or member 15, one end of which is pivoted between lugs 14a of said guide, by a pin 14?. The body of the member 15 is supported by and is slidable on a screw 16, which is anchored in the adjacent lug 10e of the holder 10, and thence passes through the slot 15 of the member, and its threaded free end is fitted with a thumb-nut 16', by which the guide, and member 15 may be held in the various adjusted positions. When the guide 14 is set as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, the cutter 4 will cut or dress the top surface of the work exactly level, horizontally, and when the guide is swung either to the right or to the left, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2, the planing will be effected at the corresponding angles or inclines, as explained.

The plane may be manipulated and guided by the operator, by means of handles 17 and 17, which are respectively mounted on the bed 2 and on the guide 14, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The motor 9, shown in the drawings, is of a type that is constructed to yield speeds ranging from 15000 to 18000 R. l?. M., when running light. By connecting the cutter 4 directly to the armature shaft, as herein shown, the planing or leveling of the medium hard woods, such as ash, maple, birch, walnut, and the like may be effected at approximately S000 to 9000 revolutions per minute. hen my plane is used in con nection with the softer woods, like pine, redwood, white-wood, and the like, deeper cuts may be readily effected at the foregoing, or even higher minimum speeds. The provision of the movable bottom 3, by which cuts of `varying depths may be effected, when taken with the novel, simple and accurate adjusting mechanism, Vcomprising the dial 7 and related parts, greatly enhances the value of my improvement, and enables me to perform more accurate, more rapid and smoother finish work, than is possible by the use of any other plane known to me.

Fig. 6 shows a slight modiiication in the construction oiE the bed of the plane, which is made up of a permanent bottom 18, and an upright side portion 18', which are fashio-ned as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. The cutting tool consists of a chisel-like bit 19, which is adjustably mounted on an inclined shoe 1S, supported by the bed 18, the cutter being held in place by a guard or plate 19, and by a screw 20, which passes through a perforation in the plate and then through a longitudinal slot 19a of the bit, and iinally screws into the shoe 18a. The cutting e'dge oi' the tool 19 is formed chisel-like and when adjusted and set for planing or leveling, its sharp edge is preferably disposed flush with the bottom plane ot the bed 18. It is not intended that the cutter 19 shall be disposed below the said bottom plane while being operated. The usual handle 17 is rigidly mounted on the bed 18. Forwardly of the bit 19 and spaced therefrom, is disposed a movable bottom port-ion 21, which is provided with an upwardly projecting barrel 21, the latter telescopically fitting in a cylindrical support 22, which is preferably cast with the upright 18. The support 22 is split vertically, and is arranged to clamp the barrel 21', by means ot a screw 22". The support 22 rotatably supports a circular nut 23, which engages the top end of the barrel 21. and is employed `tor raising and lowering the bottom 21, as shown by full and dotted lines in Fig. 6, ttor gaging the depth ot the cuts to be made by the tool 19. The top tace ot' the nut may be provided with graduations, as shown in Fig. 1, and a pointer 211 may also be provided for indicating the adjustments ot' the bottom 21, as explained. The plane is guided and held in the proper position on the work by a guide 14:, which may be mounted and op- @rated` as shown in Figs, 2 and 5.

(')bviously my power operated cutting tool Y el may be applied to planes already equipped with the ordinary plane-bits, (sce F ig. 6) with but slight modification, and thus combine the old-style hand-operated cutters with the power driven rotary cutter, in such manner that either may be used at the option of the operator, by simply throwing the unused cutter out of the operative position.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, is-

1. A hand-propelled power plane including a permanent bed, a motor, a cutting tool driven by said motor, a movable bed portion'normally disposed in line with the permanent bed and spaced therefrom for the play of said tool, said movable bed portion having a vertically arranged stem, a cylindrical guide for adjustably supporting said stem, and a cap supported by said guide and engaging said stem adapted for raising and lowering said movab e bed portion for varying the depth of the cutting by said tool.

2. A hand-propelled power plane, including a permanent bed, a motor, a rotary tool driven by said motor, a vertically movable bed portion normally disposed in the plane of the permanent bed and spaced therefrom for the play of said tool and having an upwardly projecting hollow stem, a ho-llow cylindrical guide in which said stem is reciprocatable, and a hollow cap rotatable on said guide and engaging said stem adapted for raising and lowering said movable bed portion, the closed end of said cap being graduated for indicating the adjustments of said movable bed portion.

3. A hand-propelled power plane including a permanent bed, a motor, a tool driven by the motor, a movable bed portion normally disposed in the plane of the permanent bed and having an upwardly projecting hollow slotted stem, a cylindrical guide in which said stem is reciprocable vertically, a pin passing through the guide and playing in the slots of the stem, afspring interposed between the movable bed and said pin for resiliently holding said Vmovable bed in the plane of the permanent bed, and a hollow cap rotatable on said guide having thread-engagement with said stem for raising and lowering said movable bed.

4l. In a hand-propelled power plane, the

vcombination with a permanent bed portion,

a motor, and a rotary cutting tool vconnected directlyto the shaft of the motor, ot a movable bed portion disposed in line with the permanent bed portion and spaced therefrom adapted to be raised and lowered for gaging' the depth of the levelingr cuts ef- 'lected by said tool, said movable bed having a threaded stem, a nut enga-ging the threads ot' the stem adapted to raise said movable base, a face ot said nut being graduated for accurately indicating the adjustments of the i 

